Dye A Scarf for Spring!

Found this on Martha Stewart's website today and I thought it was so worth trying! (Plus it's inspired by Japanese Indigo! How could I refure?) It has a nice little intro to shibori dye techniques as well. Enjoy!

xoxox -Amy

image from MarthaStewart.com

Inspired by a traditional Japanese textile, this versatile accessory is just a length of fabric and a bottle of dye away. 

Martha Stewart Living, October 2012 

To create traditional Japanese textiles using the shibori technique, a plant was often plucked, fermented, and reduced to make an indigo dye, and then a piece of fabric was folded, compressed, or twisted, bound, and dipped into it. Consider this project a shortcut: To achieve almost the same effect, you need little more than a length of fabric (nearly any fiber will work), a bottle of blue dye, and a few plastic bins. The result is a lightweight scarf perfect for crisp fall days that can be wrapped, dangled around your shoulders, or even worn as a belt. The look is elegant but also as loose as the process itself.

Dip-Dye How-To

Tools and Materials

Scarf
Iron
Clothespins
3 plastic bins
Liquid dye
Dye fixative

1. Accordion-fold scarf. Press with iron, and secure with clothespins. (If scarf is wider than bins, fold in half widthwise after accordion-folding.)
2. Mix dye in a bin according to manufacturer's instructions. Dip scarf's folded edge in dye (the resulting stripe will be twice as wide as the dip).
3. Dip scarf's folded edge in another bin filled with cold water to rinse it.
4. Mix fixative in another bin according to manufacturer's instructions. Dip folded edge in fixative to set.
5. Clip accordion-folded scarf to a clothesline or a pants hanger hung from a broom handle suspended between chairs. Place newspaper or a drop cloth underneath scarf to protect surfaces. Let hang until completely dry, about 1 day.

Choosing a Fabric
Different fabrics soak up color in different ways. Experiment with scraps of fabric, the widths of the accordion folds, and the dilution of the dye. These four scarves are made of, from far left, cotton, bamboo rayon, rayon, and crepe de chine silk. The longer you dip your scarf, the more likely the dye will bleed.
Cotton gauze scarf, 15" by 60", $4.25; bamboo rayon scarf, 11" by 60", $3.50; rayon scarf, 11" by 60", $4.25; and crepe de chine scarf, 15" by 60", $6; dharmatrading.com. Liquid dye, in Denim Blue, Royal Blue, and Aquamarine, $4 for 8 oz.; and dye fixative, $4 for 8 oz.; ritdye.com.

Spring is springing!

An Easter egg inspired statement necklace I created today! Happy spring! Also an observation I made at Trader Joe's last night: kumquats are like so small! Insanity. Like how do you peel them? Or more like who will peel them for me?

Xoxoxo - Amy

Artist Feature : Murmurs of Spring

The ground murmurs warmth and delicate pink whispers. It's time to renew and refresh. A beginning and an end. Tender green plays among a quiet awakening. Spring is here. 

DeLoop - Flower cascade crown

Peraboom - Cold spring photography

Moonlightmicrofarm - Sprout seeds

ChickensintheTrees  - Princess Annes Lace photography 

Twoinspireyou - Tulips door wreath

TheBrokenHouse - Robins eggs 

ShopClementine - Sapphire bracelet

OriginalDesignsbyAR - Mauve scarf

Bonfortune - Tiffany blue straws

JLynnCreations - Herb stakes

CarolynCochran - Flower photography

ModernFlowerChild - Resin bangle

SunShowerStudio - Pink magnolia watercolor

FairyFolk - Easter egg ornaments

MyMiniatureGarden - Air plants

SucculentOasis - DIY succulent garden

xoxoxox -Amy